New Toys

When we were children, the period of time after the holidays always felt like such a let-down.  More than anything, I think, it was that the delights of anticipation were over.  There was nothing to look forward to for what seemed an interminably long time (although my brother and I both have winter birthdays, so that was only really true in a child's chronology). 

Now, however, as a pretend grown-up (really only a somewhat bigger child), I can appreciate the holiday's aftermath as much as or perhaps even more than the hols themselves.  In other words, we finally get a breather when the crush of parties, cooking, gifting, being gifted, entertaining, being entertained, etc. is finally over.  And I can actually play with my new toys, since I like using them even more than unwrapping them, now that I've grown up a little.   

My incredibly significant other showered delightful gifts upon me, ranging from a flash drive/pen knife, to a beautiful and slinky handmade skirt and lacy jacket, to concert tickets and an overnight in DC, as well as some adorable unmentionables that, as I reminded him, were at least as much a gift for him as for me.  He also shed his general holiday persona of the Grinch Who Stole Chrismukkakwaanzastice (yes, now you know what G stands for), and was quite insistent that we get ourselves a little tree -- a live potted green baby, an Italian stone pine, our first tree.  At first I resisted -- I haven't had a tree for at least five years, since well before my mother passed away, and I was rather ambivalent about trying to recreate holidays that could never be the way they once were.  Somehow, that sweetly Grinchy guy cut through his own holiday grumpiness in order to do something about my mild seasonal melancholy.  He had seen through me, and knew that in my heart of hearts, I really wanted a tree -- and a chance to bring in some of my own family holiday custom (cookies! hot mulled wine! the old ornaments from my childhood tree!) as we create our own new holiday rituals.  And he made a point of giving me romantic gifts rather than culinary ones...

Others, however, took on the job of keeping the kitchen fires burning.  My darling brother and sister-in-law presented me with the promise of the sleek chrome beast pictured above -- and a few days later my very own KitchenAid stand mixer arrived at our door.  A bit of a Luddite in the mixer department, I've been baking for decades and never, ever had a stand mixer.  I still remember my mother, revving up her arm muscles with the hand-held eggbeater (aka rotary mixer) when we needed stiffly beaten egg whites or whipped cream.  When she got tired, we'd each take a turn.  I've finally moved on to a cheap hand-held mixer from the housewares section of a drugstore -- but I don't even always use that, often preferring to mix batters by hand with a trusted old wooden spoon.  However, some of the bakers I most admire assure me that the KitchenAid is not cheating -- and that it will enable me to have things come together with undreamed-of speed.  The promise of speed in our time-crunched lives is an inducement that can sway even Luddite me.  So I may have just passed the last holiday season during which I bake more than a thousand cookies by hand.  But cookie season doesn't come around again for quite a while, so I'm looking for an inaugural recipe for the big new machine.  Ideas, anyone? 

Then there's the gift I bought just for my mean selfish self.  I'm generally not much on cooking personalities and their lines of kitchenware, but ever since Nigella came out with her own couscoussier, I've been coveting its matte brushed stainless and soft-bellied curves.  I've looked many times at couscoussiers in Moroccan shops and in Middle Eastern emporia on Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue, and never quite found one that felt like mine.  Something about the shape of this one as well as its cleanly-made sturdiness spoke to me.  When I saw it drastically reduced at an online venue, with an additional 20% off for pre-New Year's purchases, plus free shipping -- well, like any good consumer, I couldn't resist.  So couscous, savory stews, steamed veggies and other goodies are all in our future as well.

Finally, there's the gift that G and I got for ourselves.  While not kitchenware, it will enable us to market more easily, go on food jaunts in obscure locales, and just get the hell out of the city when we need to.  Yes, as the game show hosts would say, it's a NEW CAR!  Sorry about the grainy picture -- I haven't taken an actual pic of this baby, but instead just downloaded a bad car dealer's photo.  But you get the idea.  We're already looking forward to a Vermont trip in a couple of weeks, followed shortly by our DC/Baltimore weekend, and in February, an excursion to Montreal.  So our good fortune is that this year, we don't feel the least sense of let-down that the holidays are over (though of course we miss the long lazy vacation days of sleeping in and leisurely breakfasts).  Instead, we're looking forward to new adventures with our new toys. 

Comments

[brian w]

Wow, that's some take! And heh, I have the same car.

My favorite thing to make in my KitchenAid is Marcella Hazan's foccacia, mostly because kneading it by hand for 10 minutes feels more like 187373 years. I do biscotti in it, too, because the dough is too stiff and sticky to do by hand. Have fun.

[Zarah Maria]

OOOH, such fantastic gifts! You deserve them Julie!

[margaret]

Julie, not such a car freak (gotta have one, hope it runs, grateful mine is a cool old Saab), what kind is yours? I'm happy for you that your G-grinch ungrinched for you with such tree insight and general cheer. Also, sssh, what are you doing about parking that baby in the ville? Not trying to steal secrets, but... ALSO, it has thus occurred to me that now you can just zoom up for a visit...we are STRAIGHT NORTH...so, on the way to everything northward. Love your blog, wondering IF/which day you are teaching your JV/YA lit course...if it's not on a Tuesday (or, if the tech grp continues, Thurs.), I'm wondering if I could sit in? Let me know,
GGGGrrrrreeaattt blogging!
Bisoux,
Margaret
www.zoomorphix.blogspot.com [I think]

[keiko]

Happy new year, Julie! I can see you had a great christmas and new year :) I got a kitchenaid last chrismas too, I don't think I can live without it, it's just a fab thing! I'm looking forward to seeing your beautiful creations, thank you for sharing the lovely story.

[Cathy]

Happy new year Julie! Enjoy your toys! I can't imagine making a stiff cookie dough without the Kitchenaid. I remember growing up, using my Mom's stand mixer and it would slow to a crawl when confronted with a bowlful of almost finished cookie dough. The Kitchenaid barely bats an eye.

[Julie]

Brian, thanks for your recommendations -- I think a bread of some kind is going to be my first try. Do you like the Subaru? We're crazy about it so far...

Thanks Zarah -- it's so nice to have you around again. You've been much missed.

Hey Margaret -- we're loving this car, which is a Subaru Impreza. Parking in our 'hood is great -- easy and close to home. G and I will definitely come north for a visit at some point. I'm not teaching the YA lit class this semester, but the next time I do I'd love to have you sit in.

Keiko -- happy happy new year to you as well. I hope to make some good things -- but you, after all, are the queen of beautiful creations!

Cathy -- I wish you all wonderful things in the new year. I'm excited about the KitchenAid. I made bread dough tonight for its maiden voyage, and it kneaded beautifully. It's incredibly sturdy and powerful.

[Tana]

I love your stainless mixer.

Come stick a pin in the Food Bloggers Global Map!

http://www.mapservices.org/myguestmap/showguestmap.do?id=foodbloggers

: D

[rowena]

Nigella came out with her own couscoussier?! THAT in itself is news to me and I can see how you'd want that for a new toy. I'm just loving the look of it myself!

[sam]

Silver Lady, you!

I had a kitchen aid for christmas last year and i know how good it feels, even if it is orange and not silver. I do have a silver car though - but not the same as yours...

[Ivonne]

Congratulations on the mixer ... it is truly a thing of beauty!

[Julie]

Hi Tana -- your map is a lot of fun! It's like "Where in the world are all the food bloggers?"

Rowena, that couscoussier is a thing of beauty. It's about twice as expensive in Europe as it is here, strangely enough. So if you're contemplating it, wait for a visit to the states.

Hey Sam -- it's funny that I had such a "silvery" holiday season, isn't it? All a matter of synchronicity. My bro and SIL picked out the chrome mixer; the couscoussier comes only in stainless, of course; and our car deal necessitated that we take what was in stock at our dealers', which was this silvery beast. Ours is a slightly darker silver-gray than the photo, I think.

Ivonne -- thanks for visiting! I'm already having fun with this pretty mixer, I must say.